Reading

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” This quote by Ray Bradbury challenges us to ask ourselves some very important questions about whether we are reading today. Are we destroying a great culture by not reading the books provided about it? Are we gaining the knowledge gleaned from a thousand minds on what we stand for? It’s very important to ask ourselves these questions today as television and social media become more and more prevalent. I want to encourage you to read more, not just texts, tweets, blogs, or Facebook. I mean books, good books written by intelligent people that open your eyes and make you think. Books that inspire you, educate you, and fill you with emotion.

Gene Veith, a professor of literature says “reading can break us out of the tunnel vision of the narrow specialty and lead us into many intriguing avenues of thought.” Reading breaks us out of our tunnel vision, it opens our eyes to new ideas and different ways of thinking. Rene Descartes a French scientist said “the reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of the past centuries." When people write books, they are passing down their knowledge and experience, and you get to receive it. Obviously reading Plato or Aristotle will teach you something, but even Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, and Lucy Montgomery have something to convey, a message that they want you to hear. You have an opportunity to know what some of the smartest people in the world think (or thought) about the world.

And yet, we often don't take advantage of it. Many of us think we don't have enough time to read, and that may be true. But you should make time. Time doesn't just appear, we have to manage our time to make room for what is important. Reading is one of those things. More and more research is showing that the very act of reading has powerful effects on the brain, both now and in the future. Because it calls into play several areas of the brain reading demands more then processing images or speech, reading assists brain development and makes you think. Do you want to speak eloquently? Read. Want to expand your vocabulary? Read. You should read about our history, read about theology, read about economics. The Committee for Economic Development, did a survey to find out what sort of mental capacities were considered the most important in business. The most important thing was “high level of literacy”. Understanding the meaning of what you read is a vital skill with many rewards. Our culture, our history, and our beliefs are contained inside of some of the best pieces of literature ever written. It's important that we make use of it.

We have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips, and most of us ignore it every day. There are more than 160 million books printed in English. So even if you read three books every day for a hundred years, you still would have read only half of them, you would have only scratched the surface of literature. There are so many books that could change your life, so read them, they are important. During World War Two, books were burned, knowledge that we have today was sought after and destroyed. Why? Because knowledge IS power! We are squandering our chance to seize that power. The Nazis viewed literature as important, and I generally wouldn't suggest taking tips from the Nazis, but they made a good point: books are important. Use them. (Not in the same way the Nazis did obviously.)

William Goodwin says “He that loves reading has everything in his reach,” If you're bored, entertainment is only a few pages away. When you need a good story, to cheer you up, to make you cry, or to educate you, go read. It's that simple. Stop turning to Facebook for all that. Don't just text someone. Don't rely on blogs Twitter for advice. Go pick up a book. Need some recommendations? Here are 5 of my favorites:

1. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

2. Hope was here by Joan Bauer

3. The Chosen by Chaim Potok

4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 

5. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte

These are just a few of the many, many books I would suggest you read. These are books that have taught and inspired me. These are the books that I read over and over again. Make time in your life to read. If you read anyway, great! Go inspire someone else to pick up a book. Out of the millions of books in print today, there are ones that can change the way you think and broaden your knowledge. Don't stop looking for them. 

Overcoming fear

                                             

I was falling. 

It seemed like forever. And then with a crash, I landed. I a chorus of gasps from those around me, felt a flash of pain, and then began to see faces crowding in around me.


That was the moment that started one of the most pressing and unrelenting fears I have ever been challenged with. Fear is something that we all face, and mine came about abruptly. I had just attempted a backward tumbling pass at gymnastics and had hesitated....a moment too long. Even though I had practiced the skill a thousand times, on this one attempt I felt a moment of panic, so I stopped and began to fall. Since that moment, I have been gripped by a fear of this skill. Fear is common and is a struggle for all of us. And today I want to teach you to conquer your fears. I am going to do that with an acronym; FEAR; Faith you will overcome it, evaluating to understand it, actions to defeat it, and resolve to conquer it. Four letters, four steps to deal with fear; faith, evaluation, actions, resolve.

Faith is hope that we can overcome, and trust in something greater than ourselves that we will. But it is different for everyone. You have to first recognize what your fear is, then what it will teach you. Maybe you struggle with a fear of talking to someone or talking in front of people. Maybe it’s a small fear of bugs or snakes, maybe it is something big like a fear of a car crash. Whatever it is, everyone has that moment when they recognize that they are scared of something. For me, it was right after I hesitated on that backflip. We don't want bad things to happen to us, so we are afraid of the future. But we should have faith that God will help us through, that he has a plan for us and this anxiety over something cannot hold us down. A popular Bible verse in Psalm 23:4 states, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Though it may seem pretty hopeless at the time, you can have faith that God will see you through. But we must also have faith that we will grow in some way because of fear, that it will teach us something. One of my first memories of being afraid was in a tree when I was seven. I don’t remember how I had gotten up, all I knew was that I had to get down, and soon! But I was petrified and refused to move. And I remember my Dad telling me that fear is a good thing, it is natural, we all have it and we need to learn from it. It warns us not to do dangerous things, but too much of it is bad. You have to recognize what it is warning you about, and then weigh the pros and cons of continuing. Yes, I eventually got down from the tree, but those words stuck with me. We all should analyze our fear, and figure out what it is warning us of, and then weigh the advantages of pushing through, all the while trusting that God has a purpose.

Then you have to evaluate your fear, figure out the experiences that gave you the fear and the experiences that will get you through. There was probably something that lead up to a fear you have. Perhaps watching a friend go through what you are afraid of or maybe seeing something in the news, whatever it was, once you know where you got the fear from you can consider the likelihood of what you fear actually happening, and if it is really that bad. Right after I crashed on my tumbling, it seemed like everything was over, like my whole world had collapsed. I couldn’t see a light at the end of this tunnel. And for a while, I wasn't sure if I should continue. But now that I have some perspective I realize the pain was not that severe, and I was only out of my sport for about a week. Being in the experience I was afraid and blew the problem out of proportion, but if you take a moment to step back and think about what you’re afraid of and why, you may find that it really isn’t so bad. And then you can rationally evaluate the problem.


Next come the actions, setting and fulfilling goals. Your courage is like a bank account. The more you take action against your fear, the more your confidence grows. There is an ancient Cherokee legend of an old man speaking to his grandson, he says, “there is a fight going on inside of everyone, it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil and ugly: he is fear, self-doubt, negativity. The other wolf is good and beautiful: he is joy, confidence, hope, and courage.” The grandson thought for a moment and then cried out, “which wolf will win?” to which the elder replied, “the wolf that you feed.” And this is something we should all think about. There is no truce, no middle ground. Either the confidence in you is winning, or the fear is taking control, and every decision you make, every action taken, feeds one or the other. That is why you must actively fight your fear, and feed only the wolf that you want to win this struggle.



But the most important part of facing a fear is the resolve to get through. Without resolve, you may set goals, but you won’t achieve them, you can’t move anywhere unless you are resolved to do so. And what was foundational to my perseverance in conquering fear was 1 John 4:18 which says, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”

Fear and love cannot coexist, and I found that if I truly loved whatever I was afraid of, that fear went away. And now, whenever I feel a touch of anxiety I say that verse over and over, and remind myself why I am doing this. If I love the person I am about to go talk to, then I won’t fear. If I love what I am doing, then I won’t fear what other people think. If I love God, then I won’t fear doing anything that honors Him. And if I love gymnastics then I will not fear performing a skill. The joy outweighs the anxiety. As I began performing that backflip again, I set simple goals for myself and found the joy flooding back and conquering the fear. So, commit to facing your fear without resolve, any fight is pointless, but with it, anything is possible.



I can’t tell you that these four steps work perfectly to conquer all fear. They can help, but they are not magical. Only we have the power to work the magic, to make amazing things happen. So I challenge you, if fear is the only thing holding you from something great, stop letting it conquer you. Have faith that you will come out of it stronger. Evaluate what you’re afraid of, maybe it’s not so bad. Take action against your fear every day and build your confidence. And whatever you do, stay resolved to not let it get the best of you. Always remember that fear is no match for love, but perfect love drives out all fear.

How to be liked by everyone

Be liked by everyone, like this cat, you can't deny he is adorable.

You want to be that person everybody likes? The one who has life figured out and attracts people? Well, you came to the right place. This is 5 ways to be liked by everyone.


1. Always smile

Nobody wants to be around someone who is sad, so as long as you look happy you have a chance at being liked. Who cares if you're not actually happy? If you want everyone to like you, you should smile.


2. Don't ever ask for help

Asking for help makes you seem desperate, and this is the last thing you want to be. No one likes a desperate person. You never want to show people how much you are struggling. Don't ask others for help.


3. Never disagree

Make it seem like you agree with whoever you're with at the moment. Even if it seems ridiculous, you don't want to tell them that because then they won't like you. Just passively agree with anything someone says.


4. Don't talk about yourself

People love to be the center of attention, so pay attention to them. Ask them questions and dodge talking about yourself, if you talk about yourself they might figure out how messy your life really is. It's better to make them feel important.

5. Do what everyone else does

To be liked, you should want to fit in. Don't stand out. Don't do anything that makes you look different or weird. Just copy the "cool kids". Then people won't hate you for anything, and even better, they'll like you! Follow along and don't differ from everyone else, and you will be liked.


BONUS:

6. Be perfect

Guys, this just sums up everything. If you are always perfect, you will be liked by everyone. People will want to be around you. So just be perfect.



P.S. I hope you guys realize that this is sarcasm. No one is liked by everyone. No one is perfect. You should not be afraid to show what you are truly feeling, to ask for help, to disagree, and to stand out. You might not be liked by every one, but you don't need to be. You just need a few good friends who you can be yourself around. There will be people who don't like you. That's fine. Winston Churchill says, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." So stand out. Be brave. And here are three things you can do to actually make friends: Be selfless, be kind, be empathetic. That's the kind of person who is liked, not by everyone, but by good people. You will make enemies, but at least you stood for something.

Being Watched

What if you knew that every single move you made was seen and copied? What if every word you said was repeated? What if all of your decisions became mandatory for everyone else?

That probably scares most of us.



Just the idea that I am being watched by cameras at work scares me, I can't even take the pressure of a roomful of people watching me. But the knowledge that everyone had to act like me? I wouldn't be able to take that pressure, I would be frozen stiff with fear. But not long ago, I was at debate camp and the instructor showed us this quote:

       

           "Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law" 

                                                   -Immanuel Kant


And that was the moment that this blog post was born (I just procrastinated on finishing it for a while) Just think about that quote. Your every act becoming a universal law. Talk about pressure! Most of us would change our actions, right? We would at least think through things more. My last post, on respect, talked about being respectful and earning respect. To be respected, you have to live a lifestyle that can be respected. That doesn't mean acting well just in public. It doesn't mean not strangling getting along with your siblings when your being watched. It means LIVING YOUR LIFE  in a way that deserves respect. ALWAYS. As though EVERY act would become a law.



And that's hard. But we should try it. In this world we where can be anything, we should be respectable. If you knew that literally everything you did was becoming mandatory for everyone else, would you change the way you act? I know that my actions would change drastically if my decisions were becoming a law. We change our actions if we think we are being watched. But there are some people who seem to be perfect all the time. Those are the people you keep watching. And I have been privileged to know people like that. In fact, there are people reading this that have inspired me to be a better person. People who are constantly kind, full of joy, and always understanding. And I'm sure there are people like that in your life as well. Those are the people we need to try to be like, and eventually people will watch you as they see those same qualities in your life. We need to be living a life that inspires.




It's time that we start living a life that can be respected. We need to make ourselves examples for others in every action. And maybe, we can start a chain reaction. If we live our life as though we are being watched, chances are people will start to watch us. You could inspire someone to copy your actions, just by doing the right thing. You don't have to change the world to make an impact, just by living your life as though every act were to become a universal law makes an difference. It will impact you. It will inspire others. So I challenge you to change, and become a person worth watching, because people will watch.

Respect

“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it." R.G. Risch

"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?" Confucius

For five years, I was a gymnast. I made many friends. I received many medals. I attended three gyms.

And I have had nine coaches.

Nine individuals that asked for my obedience and earned my love. Nine people that inspired me and shaped me. Nine instructors that I respected. And now I am a coach. Now I have the chance to be like that. But I have started wondering, "how?" My coaches earned my respect, how do I earn it from others? In my search to answer these questions I came to a few conclusions. It all starts with understanding what respect is, what it looks like, and how to give it.

Respect is considered as only a shadow of what I believe it should be. The truth behind it seems to be disappearing, fading away. And yet it is foundational that we understand it. Respect is one of the most complicated ideas, but here's the simple definition:
RESPECT: “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.”

So it's a feeling. Great. How does that feeling come about? Well, what that feeling comes from is a perfect mixture of fear and love. If you love and fear someone, then you respect them. Respect is made up of these two feelings and is impossible without them. When you begin to lose the love you have for someone, respect disappears with it. When you lose the fear you have for someone the respect is lost. It takes a perfect mix of both emotions to achieve the feeling of respect. Now I said “perfect mixture” not “equal mixture” because I believe that in respect, love will be dominant. That's right, you must love more than you fear in order to respect someone. Here is why: most people are mostly good. Love is meant to be perfect, but we aren't perfect, if we were, love is all we would need for respect. As it is, most of us can have a respect that is mostly based on love but fear has to be there also. If you have fear and too little love, it turns into hate. If you have love but too little fear the respect disappears because you aren't afraid of what they think. Because it takes this perfect mix of two complicated emotions, respect for someone is extremely difficult to maintain for a long time.


That is the theory part of respect, but there is a result aspect to it as well. A true feeling of respect will have a certain behavior with it. It's complicated to understand though, since there can be those respectful actions even if the feeling isn't completely there. Without respect, the actions will all be done with humility and a recognition that that person is better, smarter, and wiser then you.
If you only fear them, you might refuse to make the slightest misstep in their presence. However, that behavior will rarely last when they aren't there or aren't looking. 
If you only love them, actions might not be done with their interests in mind. A true attitude of respect means that all behavior is done with regard to the person you respect and with what they would want in mind. So even if they aren't near, respect would demand perfect actions at all times.


I know, that seems like a really complicated explanation of a simple word. But that's just my opinion (none of this is scientifically proven or supported with any study that I know of.) Respect is fear and love and it demands actions that show that fear and love at all times. Respect can be faked and often is since it is difficult to maintain for a long time. You're probably wondering why in the world I care. Well, I have struggled with this idea for a while. I know I need to respect those in authority over me, but I couldn't fully do that without an understanding of what it entails. So I wrote it down and developed this theory. I did it in the hope that I could keep the respect I have for a few people for a while longer. I know it will be difficult, but respecting someone is always worth it.
Keeping respect for a long time is tough, but finding respect for people you just met is less difficult. It's often just not judging them too quickly. Passing a judgment too soon makes it harder to respect them if they earn your trust. If you have read this post than you know that I struggle with this. And recently, I have come to respect people I never thought I would. I judged them too soon, but they surprised me. So if you respect someone in your life right now, maintain that fear and love. If you have judged someone too harshly too soon, maybe look closer and see if they have earned your respect.

There is another reason I wanted to understand this topic.

I want to be respected.

Respect must be earned, it will never be given, I often wonder if I have earned mine. I am now a gymnastics coach, and earning respect is necessary. But I've discovered a sad truth: Respect is hard to earn and VERY easy to lose. It's a constant battle to make yourself respectable, loved, and feared. The one thing that has helped me the most is respecting others. Respect is truly a two-way street: in order to get it you have to give it. It's hard, and it's worth it. And yet, questions arise about this complicated concept: am I as upstanding as those people that I respect? Would I respect myself if I was one of my friends? How about you? What does respect look like in your life? Do people respect you? Who is it that you respect? Have you judged someone too quickly like I did? Respect is what separates us from the animals, we need to earn it and we need to respect others. It's a mixture of fear and love, it's a behavior of obedience at ALL times, and it's something you must give in order to receive.

An Invisible Audience

Imagine you've become a public speaker and have begun speaking in the same building every week. Every week you hear people file into the building, take a seat, and at the end of your performance you know when they leave. But they are invisible. When you speak you don't know who is watching, how many people, or if they enjoy listening. You speak, but don't know who hears you. You only know that they are there. So you start doing things to try to interact with this invisible audience. You ask them to ask questions. You suggest that they spread the word about you. You tell them to give you feedback. But there is no response. Week after week you go into that building and hear your invisible audience shuffle in, you have guessed from the noise it's anywhere from 20 to 75 people, but you can't tell if it's the same people or if the number is increasing. All you can do is keep trying to learn more about them. One day you even hear a rumor that someone from another country came to hear you speak. But there is no solid information. As a new speaker, you have no idea what to do. Maybe this is normal, maybe you just need to accept the silence and focus on you message, maybe they just hate everything you say and so choose to remain invisible. Even though you're uncertain, you keep speaking to this invisible audience. Grateful that they showed up, but curious who they are.

Today, I find myself in the same position. Not as a speaker, but as a writer. A blogger. I know most of my posts aren't any good, but I really want to keep trying. And yet, I really don't know who I am writing to. I write, but don't know who listens. I thought about naming this post "why won't they speak?" but I don't want to sound like I'm accusing anyone. I'm just curious who my invisible audience is. But I am incredibly thankful for you faithful people who keep reading what I write. So if you guys choose to stay invisible and silent, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I want to say "thank you" to you for showing up every time I post something new. If you know anyone who might be interested in reading this blog, please send it to them. And if you leave a comment or somehow let me know that you read this, than I will be beyond thankful and super excited. As a writer, knowing who my audience is would be amazing. I know nothing I write is good enough to deserve the views I do get, so I  honestly appreciate the fact that there are people who read it.

So yeah, it's a little odd to write to an invisible audience, but I am thankful that there is at least an audience. Thank you guys so much for reading my blog every time I post. If you want to, please leave a comment or share my blog with as many people as you can. I really don't want to seem invisible to you though, so to learn more about who I am you can read about me here. For now, I'll just keep writing to an audience that I know is there. And maybe, just maybe, I can inspire an invisible audience to have the Courage 2 Continue.

Independence Day!

                           

Today is July 4th. It's an important day in U.S. history because we celebrate our freedom and independence. We celebrate how unique our country is. We celebrate the rights that our forefathers died to give us. So today, our nation forgets the divide between Democrat and Republican. Forgets the tensions with North Korea. Forgets the battle over health care. Forgets the immigration problem. And forgets the issue of gun control. Today is important because we are able to look past all the problems that divide our country, everything politicians debate over, and everything we as a nation complain about, and we focus on what we do have: Freedom. We look back over what we have accomplished and what our Founding Fathers gave us, and we celebrate. So I think it's important that we remember exactly what that freedom entails, exactly what we have soldiers fighting for today. Because independence day is one of the only days that we really take a step back and count our blessings. I compiled a list of quotes and ideas that our nation was founded and help us remember what the 4th of July is all about.

• Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, "Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace, but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

• Preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, 1776. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

• Declaration of Independence conclusion, "....that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

• Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, signed 1787, ratified 1788, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

• The Star Spangled Banner. Inspired by the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key scribbled the initial verse of his song on the back of a letter. Later, he completed the song by adding three more verses. The first verse became our National Anthem.

(Verse 1) "O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

(Verse 4) "O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

• Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, New Colossus,

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”"

• Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863.
  

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

• Ronald Reagan "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

Remember what today is all about. Freedom. Rights. Independence. Look past the imperfections of our country and focus on what God gave us: The United States of America.